According to a new report from Hope Street Group, immediate changes in career education and training are needed to ensure that the U.S. manufacturing industry can meet its future hiring needs.
The report found that American youth are getting fewer opportunities to experience technical trades directly. This problem is exacerbated by systemic challenges that prevent educators and employers from creating opportunities to expose young people to manufacturing careers.
The report highlights student, educator and employer perspectives into this issue, along with strategies for manufacturing employers to collaborate with educators on youth outreach and training.
One observation from the report's findings was that youth frequently develop misconceptions about manufacturing early on because they have little direct exposure to manufacturing in their daily lives. They are often unaware, uninterested or unprepared for jobs available in their regions and lack comprehensive knowledge of the rapid changes the U.S. manufacturing sector has undergone in recent years.
Those aiming to assist students in the career exploration process also expressed concern over significant time and resource barriers. Teachers generally felt they lacked the time and guidance to cover career education in the classroom. Manufacturing employers cited financial difficulties and a lack of coordination with other local employers and educators as major obstacles to success. Only 29 percent of business leaders currently report any meaningful collaboration with higher education institutions, according to a poll conducted by Gallup and Lumina Foundation.
"The problem is indicative of a growing disconnect between employer needs and educational training focus, and solving it will require finding new ways to encourage alignment," said Hope Street Group president and CEO Martin Scaglione.
Hope Street Group suggests that manufacturing employers take an active role in addressing this knowledge gap by playing a larger role in exposing students to manufacturing and other skilled careers through encouraging manufacturing education in the classroom, providing direct contact with technical trades and creating online educational resources.
Funded by Alcoa Foundation, the "Missing Makers: How to Rebuild America's Manufacturing Workforce" report also includes recommendations for fostering collaboration between local manufacturers and educators in their respective regions, helping to overcome financial and coordination barriers that have hindered effective outreach. The report is intended to further inform and empower the numerous stakeholders involved in addressing this issue, many of whom are already working on innovative efforts to improve education to employment pathways in and beyond manufacturing.
"Manufacturing jobs of the future will require all workers to continually upgrade and diversify their skills," said Esra Ozer, president of Alcoa Foundation. "We must move beyond fragmented training solutions and take a broader, more holistic view of what individuals need to achieve self-sufficiency in an increasingly complex working world.”
For more information or to the view the complete report, visit www.hopestreetgroup.org.